Three of the four members of Congress representing western Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri opposed the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that passed the House late on Friday, November 5.
Republicans Darin LaHood of Illinois, Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, and Sam Graves of Missouri each voted against it.
Democratic Representative Cheri Bustos of Illinois voted in favor of the measure.
In a release, LaHood said, “I voted no tonight on the infrastructure bill which enables the Democrats to ram through their reckless tax and spending agenda using reconciliation.”
LaHood also said, “A vote for the infrastructure bill is a vote that paves the way for an extreme reconciliation spending bill that includes crippling tax hikes that will kill American jobs and send them overseas, hammer small businesses as they struggle to recover from COVID-19, and worsen the labor shortage while driving up inflation on working families.”
Bustos called the measure a “transformational bill” that makes the largest investment in the nation’s roads, bridges, broadband, energy grids, and more, since the Eisenhower presidency.
In her release, Bustos stated, “…this package will set our nation up for success because it will make the lives of our working families and middle class better.”
A congressional candidate also weighed in on the bill. Esther Joy King, who is seeking the Republican nomination in Illinois’ 17th District, said in a release, “Nancy Pelosi rammed through Congress a $1.2 trillion package of their socialist tax and spend wish list without considering the needs of Americans first.”
King is running for the seat now held by Bustos, who is not seeking a sixth term.
